The scope of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) applications to industry had been widen rapidly in recent years. This is because it can provide many advantages over traditional energy conversion systems including: tolerant to high temperature, high energy conversion efficiency, environmental friendly, and so on. It is noted that for preparing any common fuel cell for performance test or generating electricity, its fuel as well as air streams must be preheated to a designated operating temperature, which can be as high as 600° C. to 1000° C. for SOFCs, before they can be fed into the fuel cell stack.
Conventionally, such preheating is performed in a manner that: after the assembling of a SOFC stack is completed, it is being subjected to a load for stabilizing the same from tipping over for preparing the same to be move into a high-temperature furnace where it is heated to its designated operating temperature; and then, after performing a performance test upon the heated SOFC stack, it is cooled down and then moved out of the furnace manually to enter a control system while still under the stabilization of the load. However, it is noted that the whole transportation process of the SOFC stack must be performed with extreme care for preventing the SOFC stack from being damaged by tipping over, accidental collision or dropping.
As the combined weight of the SOFC stack and its load can be too heavy to be move manually and at the same time trying to prevent the same from being damaged by tipping over, accidental collision or dropping, the use of any conventional manual method for transporting SOFC stack can be a vary task. Not to mention that there is not yet any removal device capable of removing SOFC stacks out of the high temperature furnace smoothly and stably. Therefore, it is in need of a device for transporting SOFC stacks safely and smoothly.